Yorkshire sign Matt Milnes from Kent

Yorkshire have made their first domestic signing under new management after Matt Milnes agreed a three-year deal which will see him join from Kent.

A number of players will leave the club this year: Steven Patterson announced on Thursday evening that he had been told he would leave at the end of the season and stood down from the club captaincy, while David Willey and Tom Kohler-Cadmore have already confirmed moves to Northamptonshire and Somerset respectively.

But the signing of Milnes, who has impressed across formats for Kent since his move from Nottinghamshire in 2018, serves as a vote of confidence in Yorkshire's new regime. That has been led by Ottis Gibson, who was brought in as head coach ahead of this season after the mass staff sackings which followed Azeem Rafiq's allegations of an institutionally racist culture at the club during his time as a player.

"We are delighted to have signed a top-quality player in Matthew Milnes," Darren Gough, Yorkshire's interim director of cricket, said. "He's a very skilful fast bowler who will add some great competition to the group of seamers that we have here at Yorkshire.

"He's shown what he can do with a red ball, and we are confident he will be a force within our Championship side, as well as offering another great option to our white-ball teams.

"We have seen this year the importance of having a good group of fast bowlers, with the schedule meaning rest and rotation is required for them at times to keep everyone as fresh as possible and avoid injuries."

Milnes said: "I have had four happy and successful seasons with Kent, and I will always be grateful to Paul Downton, Matt Walker and my team-mates for their support over the years.

"It was a tough decision, but this feels like the right time to embrace a new challenge. I am excited by the prospect of joining Yorkshire and working with Ottis and his coaching staff. Hopefully, this will help me improve and push on to higher levels."